Beater roll setting and adjustment



June 12, 1934. M A, Mus 1,962,402

BEATER ROLL SETTING AND ADJUSTMENT Original Filed May 14, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l HIM F June 12, 1934. M. A. MILLS BEATER ROLL SETTING AND ADJUSTMENT Original Filed May 14, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 III IIIIIII IIIII IIIII I I IIIIIIIII I I I I I III W ,zm/zMl-zzit 3g" 41/ June 12, 1934. M, A. MILLS BEATER ROLL SETTING AND ADJUSTMENT Original Filed May 14. 1931 q Sheets-Sheet 3 5 v W .y M Ml I Q o W .i... {1. w a 7 z w J w W% w we ,1 T, w w 4 mm, n, 2 a 2 5% I w z 7 W a f 0 Ii- I 11 ,l 2 4 4 T W W m F/ Q n IJL PL June 12, 1934. M, AWLLS 1,962,402

BEATER ROLL SETTING AND ADJUSTMENT Original Filed May 14. 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 gwumtoc ML/ZMLZLs,

Patented June 12, 1934 UNITED STATES BEATER ROLL SETTING AND ADJUSTMENT Melvin A. Mills, Lawrence, Mass, assignor to Elizabeth M. ONeil, Watertown, N. Y.

Application May 14, 1931, Serial No. 537,466 Renewed October 26, 1933 7 Claims.

This invention relates to pulp beating engines of the so-called Holland type, the essential elements of which are an oval tub having a central, vertical partition or mid-feather cooperatingwith the sides of the tub to provide an endless channel for the circulation of the stock, a bed-plate located in the bottom of said channel, and a horizontally disposed beatingcylinder armed with metal blades and mounted for rotation above the bed-plate for cooperation with the latter to comminute the stock and reduce the same to a uniform consistency.

In beating engines of the foregoing type it is broadly old to mount the beating-cylinder for vertical movement and to provide means to elevate said cylinder to a position considerably above the bed-plate for initial operation on raw stock, and to permit the gradual lowering of said cylinder as the beating of the stock is progressed to obtain the desired final consistency of the pulp. According to prior practice, however, the means that have been provided for elevat-. ing and for controlling the lowering of the beating cylinder have not been effective to accomplish this purpose satisfactorily, as such means operate either to shift the cylinder more or less laterally, which is disadvantageous and therefore undesirable, or else to elevate or permit lowering of one end of the cylinder in advance of the other, which also is disadvantageous and undesirable because of the consequent uneven wear of the cylinder. Therefore, one of the important objects of the present invention .is to eliminate the foregoing disadvantages by providing means to assure, on the one hand, raising and lowering of the beating-cylinder of an engine of the character mentioned in a straight line and, on the other hand, to assure equal amounts of movements of each end of the cylinder during raising and lowering thereof. Another important object of the invention is to provide means for elevating and for controlling the lowering of a beating-cylinder in the manner stated, which means is inclusive of a pair of cooperating devices, one of which is operable to effect a, quick lift or to permit a quick lowering of the beating cylinder to secure a rough initial adjustment thereof relative to the bed-plate, and the other of which is'operable to control fine adjustments of the cylinder relative to the bed-plate.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of the character mentioned and for the purpose stated by means of which any desired adjustment of the beating-cylinder relative to the bed-plate may readily be predetermined and effected so as to assure the same consistency of different batches of pulp stock which are comminuted and beaten at difi'erent times by the engine.

Another important object of the invention is to provide automatic means to control the lowering of the beating-cylinder at a predetermined rate according to the nature of the pulp mass being beaten, whereby the reduction of the pulp mass to the consistency desired may be progressed uniformly with consequent most effective comminuting and beating of the pulp in a minimum amount of time and without the necessity of an attendant.

Another object of the invention is to provide means to automatically stop the lowering of the beating cylinder after the elapse of a predetermined period of time, and to provide means to operate an alarm when lowering of the beating roll is stopped.

, Another object of the invention is to provide relatively simple, inexpensive means for the purposes stated which may readily be embodied in existing beating engines as well as in beating engines specially constructed to include the same, and which in either instance are thoroughly reliable and efficient in operation.

With the other objects in view, which will become more fully apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel features of construction and in the novel combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different views:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a beating engine having the present improvements embodied therein.

Figure 2 is a side elevation.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail side elevation of one practical embodiment of the present mechanism.

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical section through a portion of the structure showing in detail the cooperating cam devices for controlling raising and lowering of the beating cylinder.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail top plan view of the structureshown in Fig. 3; and

Figure 6 is a detail section on the line 66 of Fig. 3. r

A pulp beating engine of the so-called Holland type is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the same being inclusive of an oval tub A having a central, vertical partition or mid-feather" b of less length than the tub cooperating with the walls of the latter to provide an endless channel 0 through which the pulp mass is adapted to circulate. Located in the bottom of the channel c is a bed-plate (1 above which is mounted a beating cylinder e, said cylinder being armed with metal blades (not shown) and being rotatable on a horizontal axis for cooperation with the bed-plate to shred or beat the pulp.

It is usual in engines of the foregoing type to elevate the beating cylinder considerably above the bed-plate to initiate the stock comminuting operation and to gradually lower said cylinder as the comminuting of the stock is progressed, and the present invention has special reference to the provision of improved means for effecting a quick lift of the beating-cylinder, as, for example, when beating of a mass of pulp stock has been completed, and for controlling the gradual lowering of said cylinder.

According to the present invention, the shaft f carrying the beating cylinder e is journaled at its ends in bearings g which are mounted for vertical sliding movement between spaced upright portions h of supporting frames 2' that are disposed at opposite sides of the tub A, and duplicate mechanisms are carried by the respective frames for lifting and for controlling the lowering of the bearings g, thereby to control vertical movements of the beating-cylinder. That is to say, each of the mechanisms mentioned, only one of which is illustrated in detail in the drawings, consists of a vertical shaft 10 rotatably mounted in one of the upright portions of the frame 2, a second vertical shaft 11 rotatably mounted in the other of said upright portions of said frame, a segmental gear 12 fixed to the lower end of the shaft 10, a vertically disposed pin 13 mounted in the frame 1' beneath the bearing g, a segmental gear 14 rotatably mounted on said pin in mesh with the gear 12 and held against downward movement by seating against a portion of the frame 1', a pair of semi-circularly shaped vertically inclined wedge or cam formations 15 formed on the upper side of the gear 14 concentric with the pin 13, a cam follower 16 keyed to the pin 13 so as to be vertically slidable but non-rotatable thereon and carrying on its underside a pair of semi-circularly shaped vertically inclined wedge or cam formations 17 for cooperation with the wedge or cam formations 15 of the gear 14, a lower ball race plate 18 secured to the upper side of said cam follower, a series of anti-friction balls 19 disposed on top of said plate, an upper ball race plate 20 resting on said series of balls, a sleevelike member 21 mounted for rotation and for vertical sliding movement on the pin 13 and having the upper ball race plate 20 secured to the lower end thereof, a horizontally disposed gear wheel or segment 22 keyed to said member 21 and held in assembly therewith by the upper ball race plate 20, a pair of semi-circularlyshaped vertically inclined wedge or cam formations 23 formed on the upper side of said member 21 concentric with the pin 13, and a relatively wide faced pinion 24 keyed to the shaft 11 and meshing with the gear 22.

Each of the bearings g carries at its bottom a pair of semi-circularly-shaped vertically in clined wedge or cam formations 25 which rest upon and cooperate with the wedge or cam formations 23 of the related member 21, and thus, as is apparent, by rotation of the segmental gear 14 in one direction the cooperation of the wedge or cam formations 15-17 will result in elevation of the bearing 9, while by rotation of said gear in the opposite direction, the bearing 9 will be permitted to slide downward under the influence of the weight of the beater-cylinder. On the other hand, it is equally apparent that rotation of the member 21 in one direction also is effective through the cooperation of the cam or wedge formations 23-25 to elevate the bearing 9 and that rotation of said member in the opposite direction is effective to permit said bearing to move downward.

On the upper end of each of the shafts 10 is secured a bevel gear 26, while mounted in suitable bearings carried by the related upright portions h of the respective frames 2' is a horizontal shaft 27 which carries a pair of bevel gears 28 disposed in mesh with the bevel gears 26, respectively, whereby the shafts 10 are rotatable in unison to produce, through the respective pairs of gear segments 12l4, equal angular movements of the cam formations 15, thus to assure equal amounts of raising and lowering movements of the respective bearings g.

The cam formations l517 are adapted for effecting a quick lifting of the beating-cylinder e or to permit said cylinder to be quickly lowered, and to this end a hand lever 29 is carried by or provided for connection with the shaft 2'1 for manual manipulation to effect rotation of said shaft, thereby to effect, through the shafts 10 and the gears 12-14, unitary rotation of the cam formations 15.

On the upper end of each of the shafts 11 is secured a bevel gear 30, while mounted in suitable bearings carried by the related upright portions h of the frame 2' is a horizontal shaft 31 which carries a pair of bevel gears 32 disposed in mesh with the bevel gears 30, respectively, whereby the shafts 11 are rotatable in unison to produce, through the respective pairs of gears 24-22, equal angular movement of the cam formations 23 thus to assure equal amounts of raising and lowering movements of the respective bearings g as effected or permitted by rotation of said cam formations.

The shaft 31 has fixed thereto a sprocket wheel 33, while journaled for rotation in a suitable bearing carried by the related upright portions h of one of the frames 2, is a stub shaft 34 to which is fixed a sprocket wheel 35, a sprocket chain 36 being provided to connect said sprocket wheels 33, 35 whereby rotation of the shaft 34 is effective to rotate the shaft 31 thus to produce rotation of the cam formations 23. z

A hand-wheel 37 is provided on the shaft 34 for rotating the same, and in accordance with the invention, this hand wheel preferably is provided with scale graduations as indicated at 38 for cooperation with a suitable fixed pointer so that minute and exact vertical adjustments of the beating-cylinder 2 may readily be obtained.

In view of the foregoing it is apparent that due to the mounting of the bearings 9 between the upright portions h, h of the respective frames 1', said bearings may partake of vertical movements only, thereby assuring straight line movements of the beating-cylinder, while on the other hand, due to the arrangement of the relid spective pairs of cam formations relative to one another, and to the connections between related pairs of said formations, whereby they are required to rotate equal angular amounts in unison, equal amounts of vertical movement of the respective ends of the beating-cylinder are assured.

When starting the beating of a mass of stock the gear segments 14 carrying the cam formations 15 may be positioned at any desired angle. Ordinarily, however, when starting to beat a mass of stock said gear segments are positioned as shown in Fig. 4, permitting the cam followers 16 to assume their lowermost positions. On the other hand, the rotated position of the member 21 at the beginning of a beating operation is such that the cam formations 23 of said member serve to hold the bearings jg in a more or less initially elevated position, whereby the beatingcylinder may be gradually lowered as the beating of the stock is progressed.

Gradual lowering of the beating-cylinder may be permitted by manual manipulation of the hand wheel 37, which operates through .the aforementioned connections between the shaft 34 and the gears 22 to effect rotation of the members 21 and the cam formations 23 thereof in an obvious manner, and upon completion of the beating operation, the hand lever 29 is manipulated to operate the gear segments 12, 14 to effect a quick lift of the beating-cylinder through the medium of cam formations 15, 17, in which connection it will be observed that the gear 24 has a relatively wide face so that the gear 22 remains in mesh therewith despite the upward movement of said gear 22 as effected by the cam formations 15. Before starting another beating operation, the gear segments 12, 14 may be operated to restore the original status of the cam formations 15, 17 and the hand wheel 37 may be operated to restore the original status of the cam formations 23, 25, whereupon the operations just described may be repeated to effect beating of the second supply of stock, in which connection it is obvious that by means of the graduations on the hand-wheel 37 adjustments of the beating-cylinder relative to the bed plate may be effected so as to obtain the same consistency of the respective masses of pulp stock which are beaten at different times.

An important feature of the present invention resides in the provision of means to control the lowering of the beating-cylinder e automatically and at any desired rate according to the nature of the stock being beaten. The beating-cylinder may be driven in any suitable manner, as, for example, by means of a belt operating over a pulley on the beating-cylinder shaft 1, and said automatic means includes, preferably, a reduced speed gear connection between said shaft f and the shaft 34.

According to the present embodiment of the automatic means mentioned, said means comprises a gear-box 39 mounted on one of the frames 11 and containing a reduced speed train of gears designated collectively as 40, the shafts of the gears at the respective ends of said train having mounted thereon sprocket wheels 41 and 42, respectively.

On the beating-cylinder shaft if is mounted a sprocket wheel 43 which is connected with the sprocket wheel 41 by a sprocket chain 44, while loose on the shaft 34 is mounted a sprocket wheel 45 that is connected with the sprocket wheel 42 by a sprocket chain 46. The sprocket wheels 41, 43 may be replaced by other sprocket wheels of different diameters to vary the gear ratio between the shafts ,f and 34.

Keyed on the shaft 34 is a clutch collar 47 which is slidable on said shaft for cooperation with a companion clutch formation 48 carried by the sprocket wheel 45, whereby the said sprocket wheel 45 may be permitted to run free on said shaft 34 or be coupled to said shaft for rotation therewith. If the clutch collar 4'? is disengaged from the sprocket wheel 45, said wheel will simply run idly on the shaft 34 and lowering of the beating-cylinder-will be under the control of the hand-wheel 3'7. On the other hand, if the clutch collar is engaged with the sprocket wheel 45, the beating-cylinder shaft obviously will operate through the reduced speed train of gears to rotate the shaft 34 at a very slow rate of speed thus to effect, through the connections of said shaft 34 with the cam formations 23, rotation of said cam formations to permit a gradual lowering of the beating-cylinder, the rate of which lowering may be varied as aforesaid by substituting different sizes of sprocket wheels for the sprocket wheels 41, 43. In this Way the beating of the stock maybe progressed at a definite rate and with certainty and dispatch.

By reason of the reduced speed gear train being driven from the shaft of the beatingcylinder, it is manifest that when the sprocket wheel 45 is coupled to the shaft 34, the beatingcylinder must rotate to permit lowering thereof, or in other words, the beating-cylinder cannot move downward unless the same is actually operating to beat the stock. The present automatic feed mechanism thus is positive in operation and requires no manual attention, such as might be required if the automatic feed were driven by means other than the beating-cylinder and especially in the event of slippage of the drive belt with respect to the pulley on the beating-cylinder shaft.

Additional special features of the present invention reside in the provision of means which are effective to automatically stop lowering of the beating roll after the elapse of a predetermined period of time, and to sound an alarm or warning signal when lowering of the beating roll is stopped to direct attention to the fact that the engine requires manual attention. Referring particularly to Fig. 6 of the drawings, it will be observed that the outer end of the shaft 34 is journaled in a bracket 49 which may be mounted on the adjacent frame element It or another suitable portion of =the engine, and that a coil spring 50 is interposed between this bracket and the clutch collar 47 to maintain the latter normally engaged with the clutch formation 48 of the sprocket wheel 45; also, that a lever 51 is pivoted, as at 52, to the bracket 49 and has one end thereof operatively engaged with the clutch collar 4'7 for the purpose of disengaging the same from the clutch formation 47 against the force of the spring 50. Further, it will be observed that a disk 53 is secured to the sprocket wheel 45 for rotation therewith, and that said disk is provided with an annular series of spaced, threaded holes 54 into any one of which a pin 55 is adapted to be threaded for cooperation with a companion pin or equivalent formation 56 removably mounted on or formed integral with the lever 51 between the pivot 52 thereof and the clutch collar 47. The pins 55, 56 are provided with rounded ends as shown, and

when the clutch collar 47 is in engagement with the clutch formation 48, the pin 56 is disposed to be engaged by the pin 55 and to be forced outward by the latter pin, thereby to swing the lever 51 to disengage the clutch collar 47 from the clutch formation 48 when, during operation of the engine, rotation of the disk 58 brings the pin 55 into alinement with the pin 56. Thus, automatic stopping of the lowering movement of the beater roll may be effected, and in this connection it is manifest that by proper selection of the hole 54 in which the pin 55 is engaged, the time between the initiation of a beating operation and the automatic stopping of the lowering movement of the beater roll may readily be predetermined, since the distance be: tween the holes 54 represent time periods in relation to the rate of angular movement of the disk 53 according to the gear ratio between the beater roll shaft and said disk.

On the bracket 49 or on any other suitable part of the engine, is mounted a pair of switch arms 57, 58 having cooperating contacts which are normally separated by the spring action of one of said arms and which are included in an electric circuit which also is inclusive of a bell or other suitable alarm or signal device 59. One of these switch arms is disposed to be engaged by an extension 60 of the pin 55 when said pin is in engagement with the pin 56 and to be forced by said extension toward the other switch arm to engage the contacts of said arms with one another, thereby to close the alarm or signal circuit, and produce an alarm or signal when the clutch collar 47 is disengaged from the clutch formation 48 and lowering of the beating roll is stopped.

Without further description it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a pulp beating engine, a beating-cylinder mounted for vertical movement, a mechanism -to control the gradual lowering of said cylinder,

and a separate mechanism operable through said first mentioned mechanism to lift said cylinder.

2. In a pulp beating engine, a beating-cylinder mounted for vertical movement, and two sets of cam devices one for effecting a quick lift of said cylinder and the other for permitting said cylinder to be gradually lowered, the first mentioned cam device operating through the second mentioned cam device to lift the cylinder.

3. In a pulp beating engine, a beating-cylinder inclusive of a shaft, a bearing in which said shaft is journaled, a support in which said bearing is mounted for vertical movement, a pair of superimposed cam devices independently rotatable on a common vertical axis beneath said bearing for cooperation with one another and with the bearing to respectively effect a quick lift of the bearing and to control the gradual lowering thereof, and separate operating means for said cam devices.

4. In a pulp beating engine, a beating-cylinder inclusive of a shaft, a bearing in which said shaft is journaled, a support in which said bearing is mounted for vertical movement, a vertical pin beneath said bearing, a cam formation carried by the bearing, a member rotatably mounted on said pin and provided with a cam formation for cooperation with the cam formation of the bearing to effect lifting and to control lowering of the bearing, means for rotating said member, a second member rotatably mounted on said pin below said first member and provided with a cam formation, a cam follower slidably mounted on said pin between said cam members, and means for rotating said second member.

5. In a pulp beating engine, a rotatable vertically movable beating-cylinder, rotatable cam means for raising and controlling the lowering of said beating-cylinder, and a reduced speed gear connection between said beating-cylinder and said cam means whereby rotation of said beating-cylinder rotates said cam.

6. In a pulp beating engine, a rotatable vertically movable beating-cylinder, rotatable cam means for raising and controlling the lowering of said beating-cylinder, and a reduced speed gear connection between said beating-cylinder and said cam means whereby rotation of said beating-cylinder rotates said cam, said reduced speed gear connection being inclusive of a clutch effective to connect the cam with and to disconnect the same from the beating-cylinder.

'7. In a pulp beating engine, a beating-cylinder inclusive of a shaft, a bearing in which said shaft is journaled, a support in which said bearing is mounted for vertical movement, a vertical pin beneath said bearing, a cam formation carried by the bearing, a member rotatably mounted on said pin and provided with a cam formation for cooperation with the cam formation of the bearing to effect lifting and to control lowering of the bearing, means whereby rotation of the beating cylinder rotates said member to control lowering of the beating cylinder, a second member rotatably mounted on said pin below said first member and provided with a cam formation, a cam follower slidably mounted on said pin between said cam members, and means for rotating said second member to lift the cam follower thereby to lift the first mentioned cam member and the bearing thus to lift the beating-cylinder.

MELVIN A. MILLS. 

